Historically significant railway restoration projects around the world – Pt. 3

1. Historically Significant Railway Restoration Projects Around the World – Pt 3 Part 3: Steam in the East — Where Mountains Meet Memory In the East, railways often speak with a softer voice, but no less power. They are lines built not only for trade or colonisation, but for reverence, ritual, and the quiet triumph of human ingenuity over terrain. Here, steam winds through Himalayan foothills, glides alongside cherry-blossomed rivers, and dances across desert sands. While some of these lines were born under empire, and others under isolation, they all share one truth: their survival has come down to the devotion of people who believe that beauty and history are worth preserving.

2. Let us journey now across the continent — through forests, cities, and ancient gorges — where the tracks themselves feel like memory made metal. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, The Little Engine That Climbed

3. If any railway deserves the label “magical,” it is surely the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). This audacious narrow-gauge marvel, born of colonial ambition and mountain ingenuity, winds its way from the heat-hazed plains of New Jalpaiguri to the misty hill station of Darjeeling, perched at over 2,000 metres. Constructed between 1879 and 1881, this 2-foot gauge line is not just a railway, it’s a thread that stitches together Bengal’s lush tea estates, forested slopes, and mountain hamlets in a feat of 19th-century engineering. Faced with the challenge of an unforgiving topography, the British engineers designed the DHR to incorporate spirals, loops, and switchbacks (reverses), allowing the train to climb steep gradients without the need for cogwheels. Notable among these is the Batasia Loop, a beautifully landscaped spiral near Ghum that offers panoramic views of the Kanchenjunga massif.

4. The locomotives themselves are part of the legend. Chief among them are the B-Class steam engines, built between 1889 and 1927 by Sharp, Stewart & Co., and later by North British Locomotive Company. Weighing just 14 tonnes, these hardy 0-4-0 saddle tank engines are deceptively small, but their tenacity is unmatched, puffing their way up inclines of 1 in 29 with remarkable agility. Many of these original locomotives have been lovingly restored and remain in operation, supported by workshops in Tindharia that continue traditional methods of steam maintenance. The preservation effort has faced immense challenges. Landslides, especially during the monsoon, have repeatedly washed away sections of track, while encroachment from roads and urban growth threatens the line’s fragile existence. Nevertheless, Indian Railways and dedicated volunteers, notably the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society based in the UK, have kept the flame alive. The stretch between Darjeeling and Ghum now operates daily joy rides with heritage steam, allowing visitors to experience the sound, smell, and rhythm of a bygone era. What elevates the DHR beyond the technical is its cultural resonance. The train snakes through the heart of bazaar towns where children wave from doorsteps and chai sellers pause mid-pour. Travelling through pine forests, bamboo groves, and past sweeping views of the Eastern Himalayas, this railway is a living museum. It is both a feat of engineering

5. and a sensory immersion in the unique highland culture of West Bengal, a landscape of Buddhist monasteries, colonial tea bungalows, and prayer flags fluttering in the wind. Sagano Scenic Railway, Through Kyoto’s Painted Valleys

6. In a country where trains are icons of speed and precision, the Sagano Scenic Railway is a breath held in time, a celebration of slowness, nature, and nostalgic elegance. This picturesque 7.3km route along the Hozugawa River, originally part of the JR Sanin Main Line, was reborn in 1991 after being abandoned due to modern tunnel bypass construction. What could have been another forgotten trackbed became, instead, one of Japan’s most beloved heritage rail journeys. The route begins at Saga Torokko Station in Arashiyama, Kyoto’s district of bamboo groves and temple gardens, and meanders toward Kameoka, following the serpentine curves of the river. The carriages used are exquisitely restored 1920s-style rolling stock, painted in deep crimson and gold, with wooden interiors that evoke Meiji-era refinement. The highlight is Coach No. 5, nicknamed “The Rich,” which is fully open-air, with wrought-iron safety bars and no glass windows. It invites the wind, birdsong, and seasonal fragrances to become part of the journey. Though the train is diesel-powered and not steam, it radiates an old-world charm. Conductors wear vintage uniforms, station buildings are dressed in period styling, and the commentary, often humorous and theatrical, tells tales of the river boatmen, smugglers, and samurai who once roamed these valleys. Each season paints the route anew. In spring, cherry blossoms cascade over the tracks in pink profusion. Summer brings dense, verdant greenery. Autumn is a riot of red, gold, and amber, while winter, on rare snowy days, casts the valley in a silent, crystalline hush.

7. Passengers can combine the ride with a river boat descent of the Hozugawa, paddled by skilled oarsmen who guide traditional wooden boats through rapids and calm pools. It’s this harmony of train, river, mountain, and memory that makes the Sagano Scenic Railway not just a ride, but an immersive ode to Japanese natural beauty and cultural storytelling. Hejaz Railway, Steam, Sand and Empire

8. Once a grand project of imperial piety and power, the Hejaz Railway is today a rugged remnant of Ottoman ambition and the tides of rebellion. Originally stretching over 1,300 kilometres from Damascus to Medina, the railway was conceived in the early 1900s as a way to streamline the Hajj pilgrimage and consolidate Ottoman control over the Arabian Peninsula. Built with German engineering and Ottoman grit, it cut through the unforgiving basalt and sand of the Hijaz mountains, a symbolic artery of empire. During the First World War, the railway became a strategic target. T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt orchestrated a campaign of sabotage against it, derailing trains and dynamiting bridges in a guerrilla war that would become legend. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the railway was fractured, much of it lost to time, rust, and shifting borders. But in Jordan, restoration began in the late 20th century. The Jordan Hejaz Railway Corporation has restored sections between Amman, Zarqa, and the southern desert outpost of Ma’an. Steam locomotives used on the line, notably German 2-8-2 Mikados and Czech Skoda-built engines, have been brought back to operational condition, many painted in the original Ottoman livery of maroon and gold.The rolling stock includes restored wooden carriages from the 1920s, with brass fittings and leather bench seats. It’s basic, but evocative. The journey becomes living theatre: some excursions include re-enactments of ambushes with mock gunfire and costumed actors playing Ottoman guards or Arab rebels on horseback.

9. The landscape is dramatic. From Amman’s limestone hills, the train plunges into desert vastness, red sand, black basalt outcrops, and acacia-dotted wadis. Occasionally, Bedouin tents appear in the distance, goats silhouetted against the dunes. The wind carries the scent of sagebrush and diesel, and when the whistle sounds, it echoes across centuries.Plans exist to extend restoration efforts further south, perhaps even one day reaching Aqaba. For now, the Hejaz Railway stands as a fragment of a once-mighty vision, haunted by history and kept alive by the passion of engineers, dreamers, and storytellers. Lézard Rouge, Tunisia’s Royal Serpent of the Sands

10. Slithering through the ochre canyons of southern Tunisia, the Lézard Rouge is a train of contradiction: opulent and rugged, regal and raw. Once the private railway of the Bey of Tunis, this train was built in the 1910s to carry both phosphate from the mines of Metlaoui and the ruling elite through the jaw-dropping Seldja Gorge. Following Tunisia’s independence, the railway fell into disrepair. By the 1970s, the carriages, >richly panelled in polished teak, with etched glass and velvet benches, sat decaying in the sun. But in the 1990s, a collaboration between the Tunisian National Railways Company and tourism officials saw the line reborn. Restoration was meticulous: brass fixtures were re-burnished, fabric restored, and carriages repainted in their iconic blood-red livery. Today, the Lézard Rouge runs short but unforgettable excursions from Metlaoui into the heart of the Seldja Gorge. The diesel-hauled consist comprises five historic carriages, including a salon car, bar coach, and observation cabin. Though the train no longer runs on steam, the attention to period detail is such that it captures steam’s cinematic essence.

11. The journey slices through gorges of dramatic stratified rock, past crumbling Roman bridges and Berber villages, with sheer cliffs rising on either side. The train slows to a crawl in certain sections to allow passengers to take in waterfalls, oases, and the surreal palette of desert geology. Occasional stops allow for photography and even guided walks into the canyon. It is more than just sightseeing. The Lézard Rouge offers a rare portal into Tunisia’s layered past, Ottoman, colonial, indigenous, and the elemental splendour of North Africa’s interior. It is railway romance distilled into a day trip, where the sun scorches the rocks and history rides beside you in every creaking timber and gleaming brass hinge.